Locking mechanism for sliding doors



E. J. ADICKES Feb. 11,l 1969 LOCKING MECHANSM FOR SLIDING DOORS Filed March '7.

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United States Patent O 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Overlapping sliding doors, particularly heavy glass doors, in a guideway or raceway have an elongated bar of component parts secured to one member or sliding door with a block mounted thereon and positioned above this door and intermediate the door frame and raceway. A removable spring loaded detent is secured to the elongated bar with the spring loaded detent oifset therefrom to abut the face of the adjacent overlapping door and prevent longitudinal movement between the two doors. An adjustment is provided for the spring loaded detent to position it at different locations lengthwise of the elongated bar. Adjustments for the vertical displacement block intermediate the door frame and raceway is provided.

This invention relates to means for locking sliding overlaping members; and more particularly, is directed to locking mechanisms for sliding, overlapping doors, particularly heavy glass doors.

An object of this invention is to provide stop mechanisms to prevent the unauthorized sliding of overlapping glass doors for entry into buildings or other appurtenances.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the class described which will prevent the sliding of one member with respect to the other.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the class described which will prevent the displacement of `one member with respect to the other in both sliding relationship and vertical displacement.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a device of the class described which will be simple and economical in construction, installation and operation; and will be efficient and durable in use, and adaptable to existing conventional structures.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent from the following specifications, taken in conjunction with the drawings, forming a part thereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view showing the members of the device of this invention installed on overlapping doors floorway frame shown in cross-section for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the door abutting end member of the device of this invention as positioned adjacent the overlapping sliding end of a door;

FIG. 3 is a plan View showing one means of securing the removable door abutting end of the device of this invention, shown in dotted line, to permit sliding of overlapping members;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing sliding overlapping doors mounted in a doorway frame with the device of this invention, shown in elevation, mounted to the doors in locked position;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing means of mounting the device of this invention on conventional sliding doors;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the vertical displacement preventing member;

FIG. 7 is a composite view of several interchangeable members of diierent heights providing selective adjustable means to prevent vertical displacement of the overlapping sliding member;

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FIG. 8 is a plan view of a multiple unit forming the compression bar for the locking device of this invention; and

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the lower portion of the separable member of FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like members are given the same reference numeral, a pane of glass 1 is mounted in a channel member frame 2 having expansion material 3 intermediate the walls of the channel member frame 2 and the panel of glass 1. This is conventional construction for both plate glass, dual pane or thermal pane glass, and whether or not the channel member frame 2 is provided with projections or depressions for sliding on or in a track.

In the conventional construction, the frame 2 is displaceable vertically in the doorway frame 5, as well as slightly horizontally, in addition to sliding past an overlapping member mounted in an adjacent track of the doorway frame member 5. The device of this invention selectively prevents such movements.

A plurality of abutting elongated rectangular compression members 11, 12, 13 and 14, and filler member 15 preferably of hard aluminum alloy, are provided with a plurality of apertures 6 through the greater cross-sectional dimension of these compression members 11, 12, 13 and 14, and ller member 15 and being coplanar in a plane offset from the center line of said compression members. These apertures 6 receive pins 7 which extend therethrough and into the expansion material 3, securing these elongated rectangular compression members 11, 12, 13 and 14 and ller member 15, if used, to the frame 2 and adjacent the glass pane 1.

In conventional installations the rectangular compression members 11, 12, 13 and 14 and filler member 15 are preferably one-fourth inch |by one-half inch in cross-section, with the apertures 6 extending the one-half inch dimension. When these rectangular members are positioned adjacent the pane 1, with the pins 7, there will be sufficient clearance for overlapping sliding doors frames 2 to slide past each other. The length of these rectangular members 11, 12, 13 and 14 are preferably one foot, except the last one or terminal unit 14 which is several inches shorter and provided with a spring loaded member to compensate for small variations in construction and also assure tight abutting relationship. With the exception of a special sliding door, these units will fit any conventional overlapping sliding glass door construction; however, it is advisable 1o have a shorter iller member 15 to be used if necessary between the terminal member 14 and the door frame 2.

The nonoverllappin-fg terminal and compression member 11, which abuts the door frame, is provided with a removably mounted block member or projection 1'6 having a rectangular aperture 17 extending vertically therethrough to receive a rectangular rod 1-8. Secured to the rectangular rod 18 is a projection 19 which lays on top of the door frame 2 intermediate the said frame 2 and door-way frame or guideway 5 to prevent vertical displacement of the door. Units having a different thickness of this projection 19, such as illustrated in FIG. 7 as 19, 19a, 19h, and 19, may be used for variances in clearances between doorway frame or guideway and the door frame. An adjustable vertical displacement member is provided by employing nesting member 31 and 32, in which one member is provided with a recess and the other the complementary projection, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 9.

'The .adjustable terminal end compression member 14 adjacent the overlapping door is provided with a plurality of equal spaced angularly disposed apertures 24 terminating at the pane of glass 1, and, the said apertures 24 being disposed -at an angle away from the termin-al end of the member 14. A rectangular member 26 has a spring loaded detent 27 mounted in the outward or terminal end thereof to abut the end of the adjacent overlapping door frame. This member 26 has a plurality of ang-ularly disposed projections 28 to be received by the angularly disposed recesses 24 to mount this member 26 to the end member 14.

There being more angularly disposed recesses 24 than there are projections 28, by selection of the apertures 24 in which to insent the projections 2S, there can be longitudinal adjustment of the extension length provided by the member 26 and the sp-ring loaded detent 27; which also assures proper tension to prevent dislodgement of locking mechanism on motion or movement of one door with respect to the other.

A spring clip 29 is secured to the rectangular-ly apertured block 16 to receive and hold the extension block `26, when not in locking relationship, so that the overlapping doors may be longitudinally moved. Another way of securing the block 26 in unlocked position is to provide la plastic coating containing iron filings on t-he block 26 and also to the rectangular member 11 or block 16, mag- -netize the iron lings, and then the block 26 can be magnetically held to the rectangular member 11 or block 16.

lExperience has taught that it is 4far better to use a Iplurality of abutting rectangular elongated compression bracing members 11, 12, 13 and 14 than a single length. An elongated single length has a tendency to bow even with the plurality of pins 7 securing it to the sliding door. When assembled the elongated rectangular members 1'1, l12, 13 and 14 are in ol-ose abutting relationship, and the diller member 15 is used if needed, to ill a void that may exist between the door frame 2 and terminal end member 1:4.

-T he -ller member 1'5 also may be inserted intermediate any of the abutting elongated rect-angular members 11, 12, 13 and 14; and it may be desirable to do so in some instances when the doors do not properly align at mid point due to construction clearances. In such instances, 'the ller member 15 is preferably positioned intermediate fthe abutting mem-bers 11, 1'2, 13 and 14 for maximum adjustment of the terminal member 14 and adjustable block 26 having the spring loaded detent 27 thereon.

With the elongated rectangular members 1'1, 12, 13 :and 14 and filler member 15, when used, in abutting relationship and secured to the sliding door with the `pins 7 and the block projec-tion 19 mounted above the door frame 2, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, and the adjustable block 26, having the angular disposed projections 28 positioned in the recesses 24, the adjacent door frame abuts the spring loaded detent 27 in the end of the block member 26, preventing any longitudinal displacement between the overlap-ping adjacent door-s. The block projection 19 prevents any vertical displacement of one door, and lack of longitudinal displacement together with lack of lateral displacement in the doorway iframe channels, the other or inner door can not be lifted vertically .from its channel even though it does not have a block projection 19 mounted thereabove.

fThe invent-ion has `eeen described in detail, for its more preferred use, but it is understood that .the invention is not so limited, because many modications and changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to secu-re by the grant of United States Letters Patent is:

1. Locking means for overlapping sliding members comprising, a plurality of abutting elongated members, means securing said elongated members in labutting relationship to one overlapping sliding member, a removable outwardly projecting member mounted adjacent the terminal end of said plurality of abutting elongated members, a rigid rectangular member removably mounted to said removable outwardly projecting member and having one portion positioned to abut the top surface of said sliding overlapping member, a spring loaded detent, an elongated member housing said spring loaded detent, -and means movably securing said elongated spring loaded detent housing to the other terminal end of said elongated abutting mem-bers said spring loaded detent assuring proper tension to prevent dislodgement of the locking means on motion or movement of one sliding member with respect to the other.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said abutting elongated members are rectangular in cross section.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein .the means for removable securing the elongated spring load detent housing to the elongated abutting members, is a plurality of angularly disposed projections `on the housing member, and a plurality of `angularity disposed apertures in sa-id elongated abutting members to receive said projections.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said rigid rectangular member is adjust-able in height.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said abutting elongated members are substantially one-fourth inch by one half inch in cross section.

r6. -The device of claim 1 wherein the means for removable securing the elongated spring load detent housing to the elongated abutting members, is a plurality of langularly disposed projections on the housing member, and a plurality of angularly disposed apertures in said elongated butting members to receive said projections, Iand said spring loaded detent abutting the frame of the -adj acent overlapping member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 925,414 6/ 1909 vagin. 1,360,628 11/ 1920 Ellis 292-288 1,388,272 8/ 1921 Lawrence. 3,085,298 4/ 1963 Metzgler 49-425 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

J. L. KOHNEN, Assistant Examiner. 

